“Stop, everyone — a teachable moment,” called out the dad as he and his three school-age kids screeched to a halt on their bikes to check out an unusual scene in our Minneapolis neighborhood.

Parked in the middle of a front yard was an enormous drilling rig spattering and spewing mud and water to reach heat 180 feet below the ground for the creation of a new geothermal heating and cooling system for the house.

It was a “science 101” lesson in action, as the workers explained to the curious family how they were tapping into the free energy beneath the Earth’s surface.

Teachable moments abound when you keep a watch for interesting people, places and things in your own community. Here are some ideas to keep kids’ and adults’ minds sharp this summer:

Take your kids on a mystery outing. Walk or ride by bike, car or public transportation. Give kids clues along the way and let them guess as you go. Exciting and unique destinations might be a construction site, fishing wharf or a local historic fort where people are dressed in period clothing, or to view the city from an observation deck of a tall building.

Visit a farmers’ market to show your child how to choose, weigh and pay for locally grown fresh produce, such as tomatoes, zucchini, onions and lettuce. On the way home, talk about where the same vegetables are harvested other times of the year, when it is winter where you live. For dinner, prepare some of the locally grown food, such as corn-on-the-cob. Let kids brush melted butter on the corn with a small, natural-bristle brush when it’s ready to eat.

As the summer progresses, remember special times and keep the do-together fun alive with an ABC memory game. Start with someone in the family who recalls something she did or saw that starts with an “A.” Continue through the alphabet as memories trigger stories of outings, sleepover camp and ballgames.

Donna Erickson’s award-winning television series, “Donna’s Day,” is airing on public television nationwide. Watch it in the Twin Cities at 7:30 a.m. Fridays on tptLife on channels 13 and 17. Her latest book is “Donna Erickson’s Fabulous Funstuff for Families.” Sign up for Donna’s e-newsletter at donnasday.com. Visit donnasday.com and link to the new Donna’s Day Facebook Fan page.

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